MyFitnessPal

I have another cool thing to share today! Fitness enthusiasts take notice!

So, it usually isn't a problem to get me motivated to exercise, I usually enjoy it (as any former self-respecting fitness instructor would.) However, it is sometimes a struggle for me to eat as healthy as I should. It doesn't help that I spend the day with a five and seven year old who love eating mac and cheese and ice cream. I don't always have time to bring my own food (I know, excuses excuses). I also seem to make excuses on the weekends and when I'm out with friends. My boyfriend's ability to eat whatever he wants doesn't help my cause either.

In my boot camp class, my instructor asks us to keep a food log. I did this diligently the first week, but have since slacked off. Now, he has us all on http://www.myfitnesspal.com. This website rocks! Sometimes I find myself wondering, "Is this healthy?" and struggle to find enough meals that are really truly "good for you." On this website, you put in exactly what you ate (down to the brand and cup measurements!) and it tells you exactly what you ate. When you start, you set a weight loss goal and it recommends your daily calorie intake, while YOU set how much you exercise.

You put in your initial weight, your goal weight, and how much you plan to lose a week. It recommends 1 lb a week, which sounds like a good goal to me, however you can adjust that goal as well. I'm not one to get discouraged when I don't see results right away, or when I'm not losing weight. I know muscle weighs more than fat, and I think it's important to keep this in mind (my 2 years as a fitness instructor has also helped to form this mindset.) From what I have set up, I should be 5 lbs down by September 1st.

Anyway, you can form a community on here which is also helpful! If anyone is interested in doing this, let me know! My username is alliespensley and my e-mail is alliespensley@gmail.com. Strength in numbers! It's great for accountability. You can also connect your "ticker" to your blog or other websites, and mine is at the bottom of this site. Hopefully knowing my friends are looking at this will keep me motivated as well! (Tonia and Rachel-- I especially thought you two might be interested in this kinda thing from our previous talks about working out.)

Personal motivation: Hiked up the side of a volcano in Italy. The next time I go to Italy, I want to be able to SPRINT to the top! ;)